Hinata's Birthday? Scramble!
by Coyote Walks
Summary: Naruto is told about Hinata's birthday that is coming soon. Now he just has to find out what to get her.


**Hinata's Birthday? Scramble!**

by Coyote

Disclaimer: Like a lot of other people, I don't own _Naruto_. But then again, I don't own _Paranoia_ either.

But watching Naruto use his Kage Bushin no Jutsu to play _Paranoia_ would be **alot** of fun!

Comments, request, critiques, etc. are welcome

All hate mail should, of course, be sent to George W. Bush. :P

**Prologue?**

It's good to be Tumbleweed. One moves around in the world as if they have no cares at all. As if by the Winds of Fate. And in the case of Tumbleweed, this is true. Literally. This particular wanderer had never been so far East before. But if the Winds decreed this to be the way, this way it would go. The out of place plant had traveled far in its short time. But it felt that the oddest sights were yet to be seen. The trees whispered of ninja bearing feather touches and sharp knives. Of frightening chakra and flying shuriken. The small flora bounced up and down on its way, as if to nod in agreement at these dangers. But it continued on its way none the less. The wind died down a little to allow Tumbleweed to roll lazily into a clearing just in time for a young boy to make complex hand gestures.

"Fire style! Fireball technique!" Uchiha Sasuke shouted.

Tumbleweed never knew what hit it. Sasuke never even noticed.

**Part 1 **

For the, well, not the first time this morning Uzumaki Naruto had no idea what he was going to do. He contemplated going to see if there were some last minute exams he could take. Or perhaps a mission that would take him out of Konoha Village for a month or two. _I would ask Sakura, but she went off to follow pretty boy around. Bet when Sasuke hears about this, he'll have a good laugh! _

It was a calm morning in his little ninja village. And rather early in fact, since the members of Team Seven were used to waking with the sun. Now if their Sensei would bother to be at the prearranged place of meeting on time, who knows what wonders might occur. As it was, Uzumaki Naruto was stumped and tired of waiting for a team that wasn't going to show up. He wandered off toward his swing by the academy thinking on this puzzle. As he sat, enjoying the cool air and lack of disturbance, he thought back to the day before.

**Flashback**

"As you can see Kakashi will not be here today. I have sent him out on a mission that requires his unique talents. Before he left he asked if I could have someone let you three know that you'll have the next couple of days off." The imposing figure said.

The three Genin stared at the Hokage in disbelief. This woman had come up behind them a few moments ago and startled them with but a cough. Sasuke said nothing as he tried to get his heart rate under control and figure out how the Hokage had walked unnoticed down the street.

Sakura asked, "Why did _you_ come then, Hokage-sama?"

The Fifth Hokage laughed before she answered. "I wanted to see if Kakashi was pulling my leg about how early you would all be here." Gesturing to Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, she said, "You two may go. Uzumaki! I have a letter that needs to be delivered right away!"

"Why me, old grandma?" Naruto retorted.

"Because this client asked for you. Said you'd get it there faster than anyone. Hah! That I'd like to see." she challenged him

Naruto tilted his head, thinking. "So who is this job for, anyway?" He asked.

The Hokage looked at the young ninja at length. "The owner of Ichiraku Ramen." Tsunade said finally, "He's almost out of ingredients and needs to make a special order. He _says _that if you get back by tonight, a free bowl of ramen will be waiting as a bonus."

Without saying another word, Naruto grabbed the paper and took off running. He was back in Konoha for lunch.

_Nothing better than free ramen some days_ thought Naruto. Now back from his mission, he was enjoying one of his favorite pastimes. Seeing Sakura walking up to the ramen stand he waved and shouted "Hey Sakura! Looking for me?"

Hearing this she jogs over. "Actually, I was." Sakura stated, matter-of-factly.

"You... you were?" he stammered. "Wait a minute. Are you looking for Sasuke?"

Seeing the dubious expression on his face, Sakura quickly replied, "No, no. I wanted to talk to you about Hinata."

"Hinata-chan?" said Naruto, suddenly puzzled. "What for?"

The pink haired Genin went on to inform him, "Her birthday is coming up soon. You still haven't gotten her a gift yet, I bet. And since you have tomorrow off, it would be the perfect time since she'll probably be off on a mission."

"Is it that important?" Naruto wondered.

"YES! If she has a horrible birthday because one of her friends forgot about her, I'll never forgive you!" she said vehemently.

Maybe it was a trick of the light or maybe she really did have flames in her eyes. Either way Sakura could be really vindictive. And Hinata was not someone he wanted upset. She was always kind to him. Offering medicine to him when she though he needed it. No matter how much trouble he caused, she never got mad at him or said anything mean. She just was really quiet and shy. While pondering making Hinata happy with a gift and avoiding getting pounded by Sakura, said pink haired girl slinked off, unnoticed.

**End Flashback**

_And I still have no idea what Hinata-chan wants _he thought. _Maybe a walk would do me so good. _Just as he got up from his perch on the swing, he noticed another person on the other side of the tree. "Hinata-chan!"

"Umm... Hello Naruto-kun." the shy girl replied. The fellow Genin was dressed in her normal gear, looking ready to go on a mission. Naruto wondered what she was doing here.

Somehow Naruto could tell she was looking down with her white eyes. Hinata was blushing slightly as she twiddled her fingers. _Maybe this is the opening I've been looking for. _As they stood there quietly together, Naruto began to form an idea. _If I don't know what she wants, maybe I can get her to show me what she'd like. Yeah, sneaky ninja gift giving. Then she'll really be surprised._

"Hinata-chan?" the young outcast asked.

"Umm... yes Naruto-kun?" the Hyuuga girl asked.

"I, uh, was wondering if you're doing anything today? I have the day off and was thinking we could hang out if you have time." he said quickly.

_A date?_ She thought. "We were given a couple of days off too, and I, um didn't tell anyone at home. So they think I'm with my team. I don't... have to be anywhere... for a while." she stated nervously.

"So you will?" the spiky headed Genin asked.

Hyuuga Hinata closed her white eyes, blushed and nodded. She felt a warm hand grab her's.

"Come on!" Naruto said excitedly.

And thus, their day together began. As they started to walk together, Naruto stomach growled loudly. Hinata's giggle elicited a laugh from Naruto. _So Naruto-kun is hungry too. _"Umm.. I know a good place to eat. It is not too far from here." suggested the raven haired lass, trying her hardest not to stare at the ground and play with her fingers.

Naruto brightened "Do they have good ramen there?"

"Umm…" she stammered.

"Well, it's ok. If you eat there, Hinata-chan, I'm sure the food is really good!" He noticed Hinata's smile at his comment. And he meant it too. _Being a Hyuuga and all, she's probable eaten a lot of different types of ramen, _referring to the status of the Hyuuga Main House.

She walked ahead of her companion, beckoning him to follow. After a few blocks they came to a halt before a large restaurant. Naruto looked about the front of the building. The exterior had recently been repainted a tasteful shade of green and looked to be much larger than most eateries the young man frequented. The entrance consisted of two thick double doors that gave the impression of stoic immovability. Hinata stepped past the imposing lion gargoyles on either side on the door. These, too, were very impressive. Appearing as if they really were Celestial Lions waiting to wake from a long nap.

"Don't worry. It's open." she said, her lithe form pushing the great wooden door open with ease.

The inside was devoid of people, so the two ninjas had their choice of seats. "Hello there! I'll be out in a second!" a deep voice called out from the back.

"How did he know we're out here?" Naruto whispered to Hinata.

"Umm... I hear he used to be a Chuunin." the petite girl replied.

"Hmm? Oh yeah!" exclaimed Naruto. Remembering something that his Chuunin instructor, Iruka had told him once about women, he pulled out a chair for his dining companion to sit.

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun" Hinata said in surprise.

Just as he sat down, the Old Man whom the voice belonged to deposited tea, rice, fish, and two bowls of miso.

"What? No ramen?" Uzamaki asked.

"Does this look like a ramen joint to you boy? Your lucky I left the door open this early!" He declared as he walked off into back.

They ate quickly, enjoying the silence and the presence of each other. Hinata glanced at Naruto. _I wonder what he wants to do today? Whatever it is, I'm enjoying this much more than I would than if I were at home. _She smiled faintly. Just then Naruto leaped across the table and grabbed a very surprised Hinata. Rolling under a nearby table, with his arms protecting Hinata. "Are we under attack, Naruto-kun?" she asked, too stunned to blush.

A steady stream of 'ping' and 'thud' resounded form the top of the table these two were currently using as a shield. "Yeah. Someone's been working on his ambush tactics." he said as he poked his head out.

Looking up at the rafters, one could see Konohamaru standing atop an unmoving fan. The shy girl also came out from under the one time shelter, noticing a fair amount of the restaurant's silverware was now scattered on and around the table.

"You may have avoided my first attack, but I'll beat you and become Hokage today!" the chibi ninja-to-be stated proudly. Indeed his first volley was avoided not just by the two ninjas, but also by a fair number of nearby chairs and two flower arrangements.

The owner was going to clean the kitchen before lunch. But normally the pint-sized terrors didn't cause messes until _after _lunch. Which is exactly what he saw when he walked back out from the kitchen. "Honored Grandson! Please come down from there!" the Old Man bellowed, "The Hokage will be very upset if you get hurt!"

"Are you saying I don't have per-" Konohamaru tried to say.

'Crack'! Suddenly the ceiling fan was no longer one with ceiling. It did do its damnedest to become one with the Old Man under it though. 'Thud'! Hinata dashed, catching Konohamaru.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

Before he could respond though, the Old Man got up from the wreckage of his dining room. Looking ready to devour the three youngsters, they quickly made their way to the exit.

"Don't leave without paying, Uzamaki!" the owner screamed.

Right before the double doors were about to shut, a black blur flew in straight towards him. Deftly catching it between his fore and middle fingers, it turned out to be a kunai knife with bills tied onto the end. Enough to cover breakfast for two. And a tip.

**Part 2**

The outside air was now warmer and the village was lively with morning activities. The 'Honored' brat was gearing up to go into pest mode while he walked with the full-fledged ninjas. It was hard for anyone who was around these two not to notice the many glances Hinata made at Naruto. Or for those who knew Naruto, how he didn't try to say anything too stupid in front of Hinata.

"Say! She's your new girlfriend, isn't she?" Konohamaru demanded to know.

Naruto stopped and slow turned around, a frightful look of seriousness on his face. Leaning over to whisper in Konohamaru's ear, he uttered "Don't mess with her."

"Is she a monster, too?" the brat replied, referring to the last 'girlfriend' of Naruto's that tried to kill him.

"Do you see those white eyes of hers?" The small boy nodded.

"She can see into your SOUL!" His eyes popped nearly out of his head and it felt as if his heart would follow.

Seeing this, Hinata put her pale hand up to her mouth and giggled. "Naruto-kun…." She admonished and giggled some more. The older boy stood up straight and chuckled in amusement.

Find his voice again, Konohamaru pointed in Naruto's direction, exclaiming, "Ack! She-demon!"

"I told you not to call-" he began to say, ready to defend her.

"Naruto! Have you seen Sasuke-kun?" the blond heard.

"oh. _That_ demon." He smiled as he heard Hinata giggle again at his comment. As the young Genin turned around, he called back, "Why should I care what he's up to?"

Sakura was now standing but a few feet away from them. Konohamaru backed away as these three spoke. _I have to get away, get reinforcements. Before she does something bad to the Boss._

Naruto continued speaking, "I'm busy today, so don't get me involved with your Sasuke hunting!"

"Naruto!" she yelled.

"Hey! Sakura! Have you seen Sasuke-kun?" Everyone turned to see a blond girl with rather long bangs hanging over her face, walk up to them.

"Ino." Hinata murmured.

Ino went on "Are you picking up on Naruto, now? Trying to make a harem?"

These words made the raven-haired ninja's eyes widen and face turn red.

"What's that suppose to mean, Ino-pig? Naruto's about as attractive as grilled fish." Sakura shot back with.

At this, said Grilled-fish boy hung his head down sighing. His white-eyed companion reached her hand out, whispering "Naruto-kun…"

"Whereas, Sasuke is…." Sakura trailed off, a far away, soft look in her eyes.

"But what about Rock Lee?", Ino retorted, "You spend a lot of time worrying about him, don't you?"

Just as Sakura was about to respond, a voice was heard from above. Standing upon the blue stained wooden tiles was the Konohamaru group. "We have a ninja weapon that you can not hope to counter!" their leader, Konohamaru said. "Leave our Boss alone or face our wrath!"

"Time to teach these brats a lesson." Sakura mumbled. She and Ino readied themselves for whatever weapon or tool these three had 'discovered' this time.

The ninja wannabes on the roof lifted up black balls the size of their heads. "On the count of three, then we run like hell." Konohamaru said quietly. His compatriots only nodded.

Below, Sakura and Ino were analyzing the situation they were in. _These tikes don't have the strength the throw those hard enough,_ the pink haired Genin thought. Ino's opinion on the matter was much the same. _Even shuriken will deflect those._

"Three!" the tyke on the roof yelled. Three dark spheres fell from two stories above.

Ino and Sakura reacted immediately. A shuriken for each ball flew into the air. But instead of deflecting the incoming orbs, the throwing star tore though them. Each of the girls' eyes widened. 'Splash'. At once, realizing they had been hit with water balloons, the rivals leapt up to exact revenge on their attackers.

Naruto sighed. "At least they weren't after us, huh Hinata-chan."

The shy girl met his playful gaze and nodded. "Maybe we should get out here for a while." suggested the blond.

"Umm, I hear the view from the wall is nice." Hinata offered, referring to the great wall that encompassed and protected the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

"Ok, follow me!" he shouted as he began to run towards the outer wall.

_Naruto-kun wasn't upset at all that Sakura left, _Hinata reflected, _maybe he really does like me better!_ She smiled at this thought as she kept pace, running after the boy she liked so much.

**Part 3**

The view from the outer wall was quite nice indeed. A sea of trees surrounded the village of Konoha. A nice breeze played across the leaves. Cool air came as a welcome reprieve to those working on the wall. On the other side, among the green, building and construction could be seen as well. Naruto turned and set his arms on the outer rail, wondering about what strange wonders awaited him outside of the village. He turned his head slightly and looked at the female ninja with him. Remembering when she had told him how much confidence he gives her, he smiled. _For a real quiet girl like Hinata-chan, I'm going to have to get to know her better before I know what she'd like. I wish I could be open about her present, but she'll be embarrassed and stop talking._ When she noticed him looking her way, the young Hyuuga began playing with her fingers again. _I wish Sakura was this nice._ Motion out in the trees caught his eye all of a sudden. Birds burst up from a stand of green some ways out. Naruto snickered, "If those are ninja out there, they must be really unskilled!"

"Umm… we should take a look. Just in case" Hinata offered. He nodded affirmatively towards her.

Once in the forest below, the first thing the ninjas became aware of was the lack of background noise. As the ninjas moved forward, the only sound they heard were the few they made themselves. The typical sounds of everyday day life in the woods were absent. There wasn't time to wonder if it was a predator or someone suppressing the sound. A loud thump resounded in the trees ahead, drawing their attention. The normally noisy ninja spared a quick glance at his feminine company. The veins at Hinata's temples appeared to be bulging, a sure sign she was using her Byakugan. As much as he'd like to look at her more without her knowing, the situation demanded he keep alert.

"Akamaru?" she exclaimed.

"Kiba's here?" Naruto asked.

She responded by moving her head from side to side, but making sure to keep her eyes focused. Just then, a small pink pig wearing a vest shot out from the brush. Running like a hound from the netherworld was hot on her heels, the pig named Ton-ton took no notice of the two. The 'hound' soon made its appearance. It would be considered truly frightening, running the swine to ground, if not for its soft white fur, cute puppy face, and size. Akamaru being smaller than Ton-ton still caught up to her. Once he was close enough, the white fur ball reached with a front paw and tapped the pig's tail. Akamaru barked once and then turned and ran back off into the woods.

"Hey kid! Up here!" a voice from above called.

Naruto looked up and smiled. "This way Hinata-chan!" he said as he leaped up into the trees.

Now up in the tree they were just under, the two ninjas were speaking with an orange frog wearing a blue vest. "So who's the girl?" the loud frog asked.

"Hehe…. Gamakichi meet Hinata-chan." Naruto introduced his friends.

"Umm… Pleased to meet you" Hinata said as she offered the young frog her hand.

Gamakichi shook her hand, smiling. "Dad'll be impressed you found a girl that'll shake hands with a frog." he said to Naruto. The girl in question moved her hand to her mouth and giggled.

"So what's going on here? Aren't those two supposed to be in the village?" Naruto wanted to know.

The son of Gamabunta looked at him hard, "Training! Training is what we're doing."

Hinata spoke up with "Hide-and-go seek?"

"Nope. Tag." The junior frog answered with a grin. At this point, Naruto was only listening partially as he looked around for the pig that was apparently 'it'.

A slight motion of a nearby branch gave it away. Ton-ton was already in motion when Naruto grabbed his friends and jumped off of the tree they were in. Gamakichi leapt away in another direction immediately. The ballistic pig bounced off of the trunk that was now in her way and rebounded after the orange amphibian. Naruto back flipped while he held on to Hinata, safely landing on the limb of another tree. Cradling her in his arms, she could help but turn red at the situation she found herself in. He set her down gently next to him. "I, uhh, don't think we need to hang around for this." Naruto said hurriedly, realizing he may have embarrassed his fellow Genin. Hinata smiled, glad that he cared for her well being.

"Yes, especially if Akamaru is using his marking technique." she answered.

"Marking technique?" he asked.

She made a show of sniffing the air.

"Oh. That kind of marking." Naruto said, understanding dawning on him. "We should go then. I definitely don't want to be 'it'", referring to the game. With that he leapt off towards the village wall with Hinata close behind him. But motion on the forest floor soon caught their eye.

Down below, a tiger wearing a leaf forehead protector around its neck walked into the clearing below. While the tigers in the Fire country were known to be large, some being as tall at the shoulder as a full-grown man. This tiger was arguably bigger by at least one and one half times. Its stripe markings were just as unusual. Not all were in the normal vertical direction of most tigers and upon closer scrutiny it could be seen that many of the stripes appeared as if a summon spell was etched upon the hide. In fact, it could be seen from above that this 'striping' radiated from a circle of similar esoteric script located on it's back, between the shoulder blades. Its intense grey eyes focused on the ninjas above. The meter long whiskers swept forward as if reaching for them. Feeling no challenge coming from the small humans, the tiger went back to searching around in case of an ambush.

Hinata touched Naruto's hand and gestured toward the foliage behind the great feline. A bush rustled as a flying pink form catapulted out. Ton-ton rocketed towards the immense cat, apparently aiming for the head. The tiger sensed the oncoming pig and moved lithely out of the way. Just as when the swine had tried to tag Naruto and Hinata, she ricocheted off of a fallen log. She couldn't reach the tiger's body with its speed, but she did reach the tip of its tail. 'Chomp.' The great beast roared and reacted immediately, rounding on the pig when she let go with her teeth. Hinata gasped when she saw the tiger bring its paw up, dagger-like claws extended ready to rend Ton-ton apart. The small pig seemed to shrink in on herself, squealing in fear. Remembering itself, this unusual tiger retracted its claws and sat down with its eyes closed. Ton-ton took this chance to make herself scarce, darting off into the nearest thicket.

Naruto sensed immediately what was about to happen. "C'mon!" he said suddenly, snapping Hinata out of her astonished state. Three seconds later, the odd cat was up and ready to find its own prey. Naruto motioned for her to follow him, to keep her out of the way of this 'training'.

She kept up with him as she headed towards the village. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan. I won't let that thing near you!" he declared with a fox-like grin. Within minutes the two were back at the wall. "That should be far enough. Do you want to rest now?" he asked of his female companion.

"N-no, I'm ok." she replied smiling.

Naruto though for a moment, _What do we do now? _"Well, would you like to-" he was about to say as Hinata grabed him and knocking them both to the ground cut him off. Right where they were standing previously, a small stream of yellow liquid spattered against the wall. Naruto looked up. "Huh?"

Hinata sniffed, the scent being rather strong. "Akamaru.", was all she articulated. He thought about what it was they just dodged. Then his face turned blue. _Eeuww!_

**Interlude?**

Uchiha Sasuke was beginning to get irritated. He had spent a good part of the morning working on his jutsu's. No Naruto, no Sakura, no Ino, and no Kakashi to interrupt him. Kakashi was out on a mission, so no lectures to listen to. Naruto he hadn't seen or heard all day. That meant that his teammates were miles away, eating, or unconscious. _Probably all three _he thought with a smirk. But right now, even though they didn't know it, two girls were very near his hiding spot and arguing loudly. So much for staying away from Ino and Sakura, he found. He silently moved into a position from which he could observe the altercation. They seemed to be yelling at each other about whose fault 'it' was. They also seemed a bit damp, as if they had been doused recently. While he had been examining their state of dress, they stop speaking and began to spar.

As they began to get into their rhythm, the younger Uchiha observed their movements. He already knew of his teammate progress, being around her much of his normal day. But he realized he did not have a very good measure of Ino's abilities. She seemed to be on par with Sakura. This impromptu practice session wasn't telling him anything either. Getting a little bored by the whole display, Sasuke's mind began to wander.

"This would be a lot more entertaining if they were mud wrestling. Or at least fighting in skimpy underwear…." He mumbled. What Sasuke didn't realize is that his voice carried.

Both Kunoichi heard what he said and without delay ran straight for town. Not willing to let the other get ahead in the 'Quest for Sasuke™', they both sought the same location.

**Part 4**

Hinata giggled lightly as she walked through town with Naruto. Not really going anywhere, they were more interested in the conversation than a destination. Being too early for food, they wandered about, seeing what might find them. A lot of work was still being done on the village, but no one begrudged them for having a day off. "Umm... It's not that amazing. You've learned how to deal with you teammates, too." she was saying.

"Yeah, but my team doesn't have bugs or dogs." Naruto replied with a grin.

"You don't like dogs?" Hinata asked.

"I like Akamaru. I just don't like being pee'd on!" he retorted. Hinata giggled again.

As they strolled along, they discussed Kakashi's talking dog Pakkun, the reconstruction, and Naruto wondering how you can go to sleep if you can see through eyelids. What went unnoticed was a pair of Genin cruise missiles. Just as Hinata and Naruto passed in front of an open doorway, Ino and Sakura slammed into them on their way inside. "Watch where you're goin-!" he started to say before he realized where he was. The sign on the door read 'Welcome to Kasumi's of Konoha™! Lingerie for Kunoichi of all sizes.' _Oh crap!_ The male ninja thought.

The number one hot spot in the entire village for perverts. Also the last place Naruto wanted to be. He wanted to get up and run out the door. And he would have if it were not for the three female bodies lying, tangled on top of him. He knew it would be bad if he was caught here but there was nothing he could do. Maybe if he closed his eyes, he wouldn't be hurt as much as when he was caught in the women's bath. Just as he felt the girls getting off of him, there was also the feeling of steel being pressed to his throat. It was a sword. A _sharp_ sword.

"What are you doing here?" the owner of the weapon demanded.

"Miss Manager, it's not his fault, we didn't mean to cause trouble." Hinata uttered in a quietly distressed tone.

"Ah, Miss Hyuuga! It been a while!" the manager responded as she shift her gaze to the girls that just stood up. She tossed the katana behind her as she started speaking "Outgrowing your things already? I just might have something your interested in." The blade landed snugly in its sheath sitting next to the register.

"Umm… Naruto-kun and I were-" the shy girl tried to tell her.

"Ah, say no more", the manager interrupted. "Uzumaki.", she now said with a more serious face, "This is girls' stuff that we're doing so just wait outside. It won't take to long." And He did just that, not wanting to be hit with a large object she might have handy.

Outside, Naruto sat down on a bench across from the shop. Not wanting to be labeled as a pervert anymore than he was, he tried some Shikamaru style cloud watching. :sigh: What a mess he was in. After spending a good part of the day with her, he still had no idea what she wanted. The only shop Hinata had gone into, she was knocked into by Sakura and Ino. He had no idea what they were up to, but he hoped it had nothing to do with him. The last thing he wanted right now was for those two to embarrass Hinata-chan or the manager to come at him with something. Naruto was really enjoying his day off and enjoyed sharing it even more.

"Hey boss!" he heard. Looking down the street, he saw Konohamaru waving. "Where'd that girl go? The cute one you were with." the ninja wannabe asked as he strolled up.

"She's in there." the blond replied gesturing towards the store. "Cool. Let's go look!" Grinning mischievously Naruto responded, "Sakura's in there. Along with her friend."

That stopped the young boy in his tracks. "Umm, maybe not." Said the younger boy, suddenly feeling rather queasy.

Naruto suddenly had an idea. "Hey Konohamaru. I got a favor to ask…."

Meanwhile inside Kasumi's of Konoha™, Ino and Sakura couldn't believe their eyes. The store manager had just spent the last five minutes talking Hinata out of her clothes. The manager, a busty woman by the name of Saiyuri, was convinced that she had a new bra for Hinata. The lithe Genin tried to protest at first, but Saiyuri would hear nothing of it. She kept saying that girls her age grow fast and that it is important to keep up with it lest Hinata ruin her 'womanly form'. Hinata simply wanted to go back to Naruto-kun, but the shopkeeper was nice and she didn't want to offend her. So the raven-haired girl went in to the changing room with the black silky contraption the manager handed her.

"I think it fits." She said quietly as she walked out, the bra being the only thing on her from the waist up.

Saiyuri lit up, "It's perfect, dear. Here, these go with it". She handed Hinata a pair of matching panties that were positively tiny.

Hinata turned bright red. "Umm, Naruto-kun is waiting." She said as took the underwear and handed Saiyuri money for the set. She then ran to put her clothes back on.

Sakura and Ino were still attempting to pick their jaws off the floor. Hinata had to be a least a cup size bigger than they were. You normally couldn't tell since she wore that baggy jacket a lot. They looked at their own bosoms and then at each other's. Combining her size with her petite figure and, well, life could be quite unfair at times. The two girls sighed in unison. At least Hinata wasn't after Sasuke.

**Part 5**

Outside the shop of wonders, a dark haired girl was looking with interest at a blond boy staring into the sky. "Umm, sorry I took so long, Naruto-kun." The shy girl apologized.

Naruto had just been doing his best Shikamaru impression, now looked at her and smiled roguishly. "What do you think? Dye my hair black and no one would know the difference!" he came back with as a response.

Hinata giggled. She raised her delicate hand and drew a line on his cheek. "Your whiskers…." She began, but his laughter cut her off.

"Yeah, I guess it would take more work." Then they both laughed.

As they began to walk again, each one was quiet. Naruto was wondering what Hinata-chan would like to do next. Hinata on the other hand, was trying her best not to turn several shades of scarlet. _I wonder what possessed me to buy it_, thinking of the new garments she had on under her outerwear. _What would Naruto-kun think?_ "Umm… So why do you have the day off, Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, Kakashi-sensei is out on some mission. Guess they didn't want us to get in the way." he answered.

"Kurenai-sensei had a mission too." she commented.

Talking about their teachers got Naruto thinking. "Hey Hinata-chan! You ever wonder what's in that book Kakashi's always reading?"

"Kurenai always gets grumpy if I ask her what he's reading." she responded.

"Well, Kakashi is out of the village for a few days, so why don't we sneak into his place and have a look!" the troublemaker challenged.

"I-if y-you want to, Naruto-kun." Hinata said warily.

"OK!" Naruto said in his courage inspiring way that Hinata loved so much.

"So where does your teacher, Kakashi, live?" Hinata wondered.

This stopped the team seven member dead in his tracks. "Y'know, I never thought about that." he realized. Luckily, they were near the library and one stolen library card later gave them all the information they needed. Like the fact that he had a 'pick of the month' display in the adult section. His address was also on file. Finding Kakashi's apartment wasn't nearly as hard as they thought it would be. Finding a way around so of the booby traps left on the locked door proved to be more troublesome. After three near misses with shuriken, one deadfall, and Naruto using the Substitution technique to keep Hinata and a poison needle from meeting, the window seemed like a much better choice. To his surprise, Hinata showed that she too knew how to cling to walls using her chakra. Using this technique made it much easier for the two to make their way to the open window of Kakashi's place. Now if only the gutters weren't set to release pepper bombs on unsuspecting wall walkers.

Coughing as they made their way in the window, the Genin were thankful that the traps ended once they went inside. The quarters of the Jonin were clean and well kept. As Naruto searched the room for the target, Hinata was enjoying looking at the framed photos about her. She smiled as she gazed upon a picture of team seven, the ninja she was with looking rambunctious as he often does. A nearby photograph showed what looked to be a younger Kakashi along with a boy with goggles, a brunette girl and a blond man that bore an uncanny resemblance to her Naruto-kun. The only other odd thing she noticed about this place was the hallway. Only the right side had framed pictures, while the left side was bare. It was then that Naruto tapped her shoulder and motioned for her to follow. This time it was much easier to avoid the pepper trap, leaping across the way, onto an adjacent rooftop.

"Well, that wasn't too hard." Naruto stated at long last. He held out the book to her, "Wanna find a nice bench to look at this?" Hinata nodded and suggested a place in town that they wouldn't be bothered much.

The site that Hinata lead him to was indeed quiet and didn't seem to have a lot of foot traffic this late in the afternoon. A stone bench looked across the way at a small park. The view was nice and serene, with the trees providing shade and the grass swaying lazily in the breeze. They sat down together and opened their ill-gotten book. As they began to read, Hinata face turned a vivid hue of crimson and her breath became heavy. Naruto too, was blushing, trying very hard not have his nose bleed like he had done to so many other with his seduction technique. He glanced at his partner in crime. She was turning red and had what appeared to be a look of shock on her face.

_Aww man, I didn't want to embarrass her,_ he thought. "So, umm, Hinata-chan, what do you think?" he said nervously.

"I, umm, don't think this is something that we should do until we're more developed, err, older! Something we shouldn't do, I mean read, read until we're older." she replied hurriedly. The shy girl then turned around quickly and hid her face in her hands.

Not knowing how to respond to this, Naruto simply stood up. "I'm hungry. Feel like eating?" he offered, as he offered her his hand. She looked up at him and smiled. Placing her hand in his she stood up.

As they walked a few paces, they were both quiet until Hinata asked, "What about the book?"

Naruto stopped, closed his eyes and tilted his head. "Heh heh" was his only response. Walking back towards the bench the blond Genin pulled out a piece of paper and pencil. Writing on it, he left the paper on the book, part of it held down by the cover so it wouldn't fly off. He hurried to catch up with Hinata-chan.

"To: Haruno Sakura From: Uchiha Sasuke"

**Part 6**

Naruto's stomach was starting to growl, which was making Hinata laugh. He hadn't any ramen yet today and he was starting to really get hungry thinking about it. Remembering what Iruka-sensei had told him, he asked his friend, "So where would you like to eat?"

"Hmm", she thought about it, "I know a place I'd like to go."

_So much for ramen,_ Naruto though. As they walked, they told funny stories about their respective teams. Hinata spoke of the time Akamaru ate some of Shino's bugs. Naruto laughed, imagining the look on Kiba's face. Hearing about Akamaru's reaction to the bugs, made him laugh more. Apparently, the bugs don't like the soldier pills nearly as much as Akumaru does. Akamaru couldn't change like he normally does, but an insect of unusual size and strength did fly out of his nether regions. It flew two meters in the air before it imploded from chakra imbalance. Naruto was just about to tell Hinata-chan about the time Sakura tried to walk in on Sasuke in the shower, when he realized where he was.

"Let's eat here.", was the only explanation Hinata offered.

And indeed they were standing right in front of a fine eating establishment. Ichiraku Ramen, to be exact. She smiled at him and all he could do was smile back.

After the two sat down, the owner turned around and recognized his best customer with a girl. And not the one on his team, either. Interesting. "So who's your friend, Uzumaki?" he asked as he leaned over the counter to get a good look at her.

"This is Hinata-chan." Naruto answered.

"Hello sir" she said before bowing.

"Wow, kid! A polite, cute girl. You're moving up in the world. So whattallit be?" he finished, asking for their order.

Hinata looked over the menu, "Umm… Spicy beef ramen?"

"Make that two!", her companion added immediately. The food came soon and the seated ninjas began to eat. Hinata ate slowly and carefully, not wanting to make a mess. Naruto on the other hand, went down on the food like an emaciated ferret that just got into the fridge. And apparently while no one was looking, the sun went down as well.

Since he finished first, Naruto thought about how to ask Hinata-chan about her Birthday and the surprise he had for her. "Uh, Hinata-chan? I wanted to show you something before you went home tonight. Is it ok?" he asked as he paid for the meal.

She nodded her head in agreement.

He cracked a relieved smile. "Ok, follow me." He led her through the streets in the quickly fading light.

_I'm glad Naruto-kun wants to send more time with me, but what does he have in mind now?_ Then she realized they were heading towards his apartment. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks when she thought about some of the things that had gone on that day and where she was going now. _No! I trust Naruto-kun. He's been really nice today and I'm sure he wouldn't do anything I wouldn't want. I think._ At this point they were walking up the steps of the building he lived in. Now they were on his floor. She walked with him all the way down to his door and stopped. Her head was down the whole way while she played with her fingers nervously.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto called out. She looked up. He wasn't next to her, in fact he was down the hall and half way up a ladder. _Silly._ She hurried to catch up to him.

When the raven-haired girl made it to the ladder, Naruto asked, "You ok?"

"Y-yes" was all she could say. He climbed quickly so Hinata could follow him. Once she had scaled all the way up, she realized that they were now on the roof of dwellings. Naruto was sitting some feet away. As she sat down there was a burst of light in the sky. Hinata looked up and was astonished by the fireworks that started going off. Looking at Naruto, she asked, "How did you...?"

"I asked Konohamaru. He knows where to get the really good stuff." Naruto answered. She turned her gaze back towards the sky.

"They're all so pretty!" But Naruto wasn't looking at the pyrotechnic display he arranged. He was glad she was having a good time and smiling so much. In fact he'd never seen her smile this much before.

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan." A purple burst lit the sky and the rooftop they sat on.

"For what, Naruto-kun? I-i'm having a great time." she said to him, a look of worry and confusion on her face. A red star burned in the heavens and dimmed slowly as it descended.

"I know your Birthday is soon and I thought that I could use today to find out what you want. But I still don't know what to get you." he admitted, hanging his head down, not wanting to see her disappointed. They were immersed in blue as a new light shone down from the air above.

Hinata response caught him off guard as she giggled. "Silly! My birthday is months away." The last firework to go off was white and shaped like flower. She leaned in close to him, smiling, her eyes half lidded. "But if you can't think of anything, take me out on another date Naruto-chan." the normally shy girl whispered in his ear. Before Naruto could say anything, Hinata grabbed his hand and then kissed him gently on the cheek.

Suffice to say the young Uzumaki was shocked. He'd never felt his cheeks go so red before. Hinata's face was also quite red, but after the day they had sent together, it felt right. She knew it was time she was back at home. Hinata let him go and stood up. As she made her way down the ladder, she waved to him. He waved back, suddenly looking forward to when he see her again.

_Yeah, _he thought, _I won't mind taking Hinata-chan out again. _After she was gone, Naruto noticed he was holding on to something. Looking down into the hand the Hinata had held, he saw a small carved figure in his palm. The rounded figure, hand carved from redwood, was that of a fox. It's eyes closed peacefully, the head resting on top of it's nine tails sleeping.

**Epilogue!**

It had been a good day for Uchiha Sasuke for the most part. The few times he saw his teammates, they quickly went away or he was able to. He felt as if he had done a good bit of training as well. As he walked home he passed by a park and a stone bench. Something caught his attention on the bench. There on the sitting area was a book that had his name on it. Or it did until a gust of wind blew open the cover and flung a piece of paper into the night sky. He sat down to investigate the book. It didn't appear to be booby trapped in any way. Opening this unknown tome, he began to investigate its contents. This seemed to be a book like what his sensei Kakashi, reads. He wondered if this is what Sakura and those other girls wanted to do with him. What he didn't notice was the person standing behind him. "Sasuke." He recognized that voice. "Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi sounded even more dangerous this time, "You and I need to have a talk about your reading habits."

**FIN**


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